Reading with Style discussion
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Spring 2012 Reading w/Style Completed Tasks
10.1 Square PegA Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
+10 Task
Task Total = 10 points
(I hope I didn’t miss anything and this book really is a square peg!)
10.3 Girls’ Names
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
+10 Task
+20 Combo (20.3 Harvard; 20.4 El Ateneo – multiple movies; 20.6 Selexyz – St. John Rivers is a pastor and is crucial to a major plot twist; 10.4 Children's Lit)
+10 Canon
+5 Jumbo (608 pages)
Task Total = 45 points
Grand Total = 55 points
edited to correct points and add fourth combo
Amy W wrote: "10.3 Girls’ NamesJane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
+10 Task
+15 Combo (20.3 Harvard; 20.4 El Ateneo – multiple movies; 20.6 Selexyz – St. John Rivers is a pastor and is crucial to a major plot twist)
Jane Eyre also qualifies for 10.4
+5 Combo
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.1 (1st Itinerary Stop) Norway (E 010 45)
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
+15 Task
Task Total = 15 points
Task 15.2 (2nd Itinerary Stop) Italy (E 012 30)
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25 points
Task 15.3 (3rd Itinerary Stop) South Africa (E 028 11)
Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25 points
Total this post: 65 points
Grand Total: 65 points
20.4 In Honor of El Ateneo Bookstore - Book to movieCoraline by Neil Gaiman
The one thing I didn't like about having seen the movie before reading the book is that I already have a preconceived notions of how exactly things should be because I was told (shown) them.
Coraline is a wonderful story of love and bravery. I'm not a fan of horror stories but since it's children's horror story, I thought I should be able to handle it. I didn't do too badly but before recommending it to a child, I'd take into consideration their disposition to freaky things.
It was a simple, enjoyable, and easy read. I liked the illustration of the concept of bravery, Coraline's description of her mother, "wonderful, maddening, infuriating, glorious mother", and Gaiman's descriptive tools - he described one creepy thing using spider's web and candy floss (yep, in one sentence).
Differences with the movie:
* I found the movie to be more humorous & fun
* I think it's missing the 'bravery' illustration I mentioned above (I'm rewatching it so I'll amend this point if I'm wrong)
* There's an additional character and factors.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.3 - Girl's Name)
Task Total = 35 points
20.1 The Tattered Cover
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Link to list
I really didn't enjoy it that much. Some parts I can appreciate the humor of but not a 'Laugh-Out-Loud' kind of funny. My lack of enjoyment could stem from either the satire (I'm still not quite sure of my footing with this genre) or my lack of knowledge of the American culture, politics, etc.
My little pet peeve for this book is that from the middle to the end of the book, each manly character were described by the girth of their private parts. Seriously, I get that there's a point there with the masculinity etc but I don't really want to know or care!
What I really liked was the wrap up at the end which brought it all together but which I can't disclose because it's a MASSIVE spoiler. Suffice to say that it made it all really interesting even though still majorly weird.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo (20.4 - adapted to movie; 20.3 - Harvard)
Task Total = 40 points
20.4 In Honor of El Ateneo Bookstore - Book to movie
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
I love A Christmas Carol. A Tale of Two Cities really touched me and I adore it. I just could not appreciate Great Expectations and Little Dorrit nearly fell in this last category.
Little Dorrit is a child of the Marshalsea (prison for bankrupt debtors). She was literally born and live in the Marshalsea all her life. Her father is the prisoner and as she has no mother, she lives with her father in the Marshalsea but with the impunity of freedom to leave the compounds. She works in the outside world to earn a little income and returns to the Marshalsea in the evenings but she took care to reveal little of where she lives. In fact, she took care to take roundabout ways to return 'home'.
Arthur Clennam returned to England after a long absence and met Little Dorrit in his mother's sitting room. Something of her appeals to him that he followed her to find out who she really is...
None of the characters really appeal to me. All characters have something which just grated me. Except for the ending (I'm such a sop), I was prepared to dislike this book.
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Cannon
+20 Jumbo (985 pages)
Task Total = 60 points
Total this post: 135 points
Grand Total: 200 points
Liz M wrote: "Oops, it looks like your Grand Total should be 95 points."Thanks for catching that Liz! I hadn't added in the points from AtW.
And thanks to everyone who has recommended the last book in Patrick Ness's trilogy. That makes me feel a lot more positive about it.
20.4 In Honor of El AtencoThe Trouble with Harry by Jack Trevor Story
Review:
This is a short, amusing comedy of errors first published in 1949 about a man who is found dead in woodland and the efforts of various people to hide or reveal his body because they believe themselves to be implicated in some way. At the same time, people involved in illicit love affairs and other questionable business are constantly tripping over the body. There is also some lightning romance. Altogether the plot is wildly unlikely but it’s an easy, light read and I enjoyed it.
Alfred Hitchcock made a movie of it which is probably much better known than the book these days.
+20 Task http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048750/
+10 Review
Task total = 30
20.10 It's Academic
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Review:
What an amazing book. Oskar is a very bright boy whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. He finds a key among his father’s possessions and secretly starts looking for the lock that it fits. That makes it sound like a children’s book, but it’s not. Interspersed with Oskar’s narrative are the stories of his father’s parents who barely escaped the bombing of Dresden, told through letters. The book also contains an odd assortment of photographs and other visual aids. It’s not an easy read, it’s painful and often heartbreaking, but a wonderful book that somehow manages to offer a message of hope in spite of everything.
+20 Task (Jonathan Safran Foer teaches at NYU)
+10 Combo (20.1 http://www.marshall.edu/LIBRARY/banne... ; 20.4 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477302/ )
+10 Review
Task total = 40
Grand total = 165
Task 20.8 The Fault in Our Stars by John GreenouR STars
Lexile 850
Going in, just from the blurbs, I knew this would be a box-o-tissues book. It’s a book about young love and terminal cancer… so no big shock there. I cried, I even dripped some snot onto my Nook. Totally expected.
What I did not expect was how much I liked the book. I really did not want to. I had a big chip on my shoulder. YA, cancer, ridiculously articulate and intelligent 17 year olds… blah blah. Peppered with cute little pop-culture references (ANTM marathons!) to give it a little teen-authenticity. Whatever.
But it hooked me. Hazel and Augustus are not “real” teens, but they are what a certain type of real teen aspires to be - supremely cool in a very uncool way. Uberbookish, too brilliant for their own good, and utterly fascinating to a tiny set of people.
And oh - I was Hazel (thankfully a healthy Hazel) in the eyes of my Augustus. My first love was also fond of the Great Romantic Gesture, and I was fond of quoting T.S. Elliot to him. This book made me remember him and all those wonderful feelings when you meet someone who really “gets” you for the first time.
And then… well, the inevitable happens. All my nostalgia vanished and was replaced by the fear I live with as a mom every day - that something will happen to my children. One day, something will. It happens to everyone. But I’d rather not think about that right now.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 130
RwS Tasks20.3 In honor of Harvard Bookstore
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Ah, Lolita! Well, this book qualifies as the best book I've put off reading thinking I wouldn't like it and finding out that it was so exquisitely written that the subject matter, although difficult reading, did not take away from my enjoyment of the book as great literature. I love an unreliable narrator and the tension building in this story was incredible. Nabokov's ability to make Humbert even the tiniest bit likeable despite his illness was indeed due to a masterful command of the language and an incredible storytelling ability. The irony of being amused by a pedophile was uncomfortable in the beginning of the book. I was upset with myself for being able to even think about laughing with this man because I knew things were bound to deteriorate and Nabokov was going to wrench me from the inside out before the story was through. I was not disappointed---- Humbert was definitely a character I loved to hate!
+20 Task
+10 Review
+30 Combo: 10.3 Girls’ Names / 10.5 – Rooting for the Bad Guy / 20.1 Tattered Cover (French officials banned it for being “obscene,” as did the United Kingdom…) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_... / 20.4 El Ateneo (on the provided link) / 20.5 Shakespeare and Co (published 1955) / 20.7 Kid’s Republic
+10 Canon
Task Total: 70
20.9 – Elizabeth (Alaska)’s Task – It’s epidemic
AIDS epidemic:
Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika by Tony Kushner
When I first began reading Part 2 of this excellent play, I wasn't sure I was going to like it as much as Part 1. I guess I just thought it would be more of the same. Then it reached out and grabbed me. Some of the characters reached me through their strength and some through their weaknesses, but they all coalesced into a meaningful whole. I'm afraid I missed some of the deeper meanings because I am not fully familiar with the Mormon faith, but I think I understood enough to pull that meaning from the play along with the political and medical themes. I am even more committed to finding a way to watch the miniseries or see the play after reading Part 2!
+20 Task
+10 Review
+10 Combo: 20.1 Tattered Cover (http://broadwayworld.com/board/readme...) / 20.4 El Ateneo (HBO 2003)
+10 Canon
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total: 60
Points this Post: 130
Grand Total: 445
TASK 10.8 - title with the word WIFEThe Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
REVIEW:
Rating: ★★★
Margaret Leroy’s novel is set in the backdrop of the Occupation of Guernsey during the 1940s. A mother with two young girls and an old mother-in-law, Vivienne is fearful for the safety of her family and the uncertainty that shadows the future. Her husband is away fighting the way with the army and she is left behind trying hard to make ends meet. Things change for her once the Germans arrive on the island. She falls for one of the German officers and soon they have a relationship blossoming that Vivienne keeps secret from everyone including her daughter. As the war advances Vivienne begins to face the horrors of it and before long she will have to take risks and harbour secrets that could endanger her young children.
This is a fast-paced read. It tended to be dreamy at times, and I seemed to like some of it but soon the story became too “easy”. Vivienne came across as very gullible; her daughter Blanche was much stronger in character. The book started out with the promise of romance, secret and forbidden but somewhere down the line the book lost focus. It shifted to the horrors of worker’s camps and that’s when the story seemed to get disillusioned.
Despite its lack of focus, I liked the development of the relationship between the mother-daughter duo, Millie and Vivienne. For me that was one the better parts of the book.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Total = 20
TASK 10.1 - doesn't fit anywhere else
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
REVIEW:
Rating: ★★★★★ + ♥
Victims of treachery, both King Robert and Lord Eddard are dead. The kingdom stands divided and there is chaos all around. Six factions will claim their right to the throne and through deceit and war, they will seek to upend the kingdom. Brothers become sworn enemies, while young boys lead armies to victory. No one is really a friend and all families stand divided.
Much like the LOTR and WOT, this series requires some serious commitment on the part of the reader. You need to have ample time on your hands to sit through a book and you should be willing to remember the very many characters and the complex web of plots they are connected by. I absolutely loved this second book of the series. The story doesn’t get stale at any point. Every chapter brings with it a new twist and I was immersed in it deeply. Tyrion Lannister, the half-of-a-man is my favourite character. I couldn’t wait to read his parts to find out what new plans he had hatched.
Looking forward to the next book.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Jumbo (728 Pages)
Total = 30
GRAND TOTAL = 105
Kazza wrote: "20.1 The Tattered CoverBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut."
The task requires a link to where you learned it is banned.
Sanskriti wrote: "TASK 10.1 - doesn't fit anywhere elseA Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
REVIEW:
."
Whew! Just made it on this one. I think it's to be the 2nd season on an HBO series, coming out in April 2012! Nice timing for the square peg!
AtV Circumnavigator15.2 (2nd Itinerary stop) Malaysia (E 101 41)
The Gift of Rain: A Novel by Tan Twan Eng
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 40
my review
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.1 - (1st Itinerary Stop) Pakistan (E 073 04)
Reconciliation Islam, Democracy And The West by Benazir Bhutto
+15 Task
Task Total = 15
Grand Total = 15
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: The task requires a link to where you learned it is banned."Thanks, Elizabeth. I was sure everything right, for once. Apparently, it's never meant to be... *grimace*
Not to worry, Kazza. There are backups to the backups to the backups. ;-)
10.8 Rosemary's task - It's a Family AffairFamily word: child
The Snow Child (2012) by Eowyn Ivey
Review: This novel was inspired by the Russian myth “The Snow Maiden” (Snegurochka). Chapter 1 says that the action begins in Woverine River, Alaska, 1920. Our heroine, Mabel, is in a gloomy state of mind. She is very strongly affected by the birth of a stillborn baby which occurred in the year before she and her husband moved to Alaska. Gradually over the course of the novel, in gentle steps, she moves from melancholoy to joy. About a third of the way through the novel, the Russian myth is “read” by Mabel and hence by the novel’s readers, so if you are unfamiliar with “The Snow Maiden” before reading the novel, you won’t after Mabel’s “reading”.
I had a challenging time classifying this novel – “magic realism” or “barely there” fantasy.
Recommended for when you’re in the mood for a gentle, atmospheric story; also recommended for fans of novels inspired by fairy tales.
+ 10 Task
+ 10 Style: 2. Review (10 points):
Task total = 20
Grand Total: 45 + 20 =65
10.3 Girls' NamesEmma by Jane Austen
I am an ardent fan of Jane Austen's novels and yet Emma is not one of my favorites by her. I believe this is because of the character Emma herself. Spoiled and pampered she believes her view of the world is always correct and yet she consistently bungles the relationships around her. Emma is a goodhearted person and she means the best but she is constantly scheming when it comes to match-making. It takes the entirety of the novel for Emma to truly understand herself and her feelings as she's obsessed with looking outwards. The declaration of love at the end of the novel is extremely sweet, as can be expected by Austen, but I feel the least connected to Emma and Knightley out of Austen's books. I must admit I even felt more attached to the primary characters in Sanditon, Austen's last fragmentary novel, which has only the first few chapters completed. There's something almost juvenile about Emma, and the self-same lead, versus Austen's books like Persuasion for example. Sweet but not my favorite of Austen's.
+10 Task
+10 Combo (10.4, 20.4)
+10 Review
+10 Canon
Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 250
20.1 The Tattered Cover - Banned BookThe Pigman by Paul Zindel
This book was first published the year I was born: 1968. It was one of the most frequently banned books in the 1990s. That's right. Not the 1970s or the 1980s, but the 1990s. Why? Not really sure. The two main characters are high school sophomores who lie, drink, smoke, make crank phone calls. There is no profanity and no sex and maybe just a little violence (but not much). These were clearly the reasons why certain pressure groups worked to banned this book. Instead of being profane and inappropriate, the story explores the loneliness of a widower (The Pigman) and the regret the kids have when they realize that they have taken for granted a very special and short-lived relationship with The Pigman. This super fast read would likely be of interest to most young adults (and a few not so young adults).
+20 Task (Most Frequently Challenged Book)
+10 Review
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 75
10.8 It's a Family AffairThe Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
If you like Wes Anderson films, you'd love this book. It's quirky and bright and smarter-than-thou and ends with an absolute shocker. It's about the Family Fang: Caleb, Camille, Child A, and Child B...they're performance artists, a cross between Marina Abramovic and "Borat"--inserting themselves in otherwise-normal situations (the mall, a movie set, a university campus) and creating chaos, filming the entire event to be cut and pasted and exhibited in a museum. The book alternates between different "exhibits" performed when A and B were still children and the present day missteps and misfortunes of adult Annie and Buster (whom their parents still refer to as Child A and Child B).
I don't know how to discuss it more without giving things away, so I'll just say--it was a good read that left me contemplating art and family and responsibility and loss and so much more (to me, the sign of a good book when I keep discussing it with myself long after I've read the last word).
+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (Wilson teaches fiction at the University of the South)
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 90
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote:Whew! Just made it on this one. I think it's to be the 2nd season on an HBO series, comi..."
Yea.. can't wait to watch it!
20.10 It's AcademicSalvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward. She is an assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Alabama.
Review: It has been so long since I have taken a literature course that I doubt that I can identify, let alone articulate all the symbols and themes in this powerful story--birth, blood, bones, motherhood, forces of nature, family, colors. Seven years after they have lost their wife and mother (and anchor), a poor rural family struggles as Katrina bears down on them. The father is an alcoholic. The children have mainly raised themselves with a little help from their father and memories of their mother to guide them. The father recognizes the danger of the impending storm and tries to prepare them and their house.
The story is mostly told in first person present by the daughter, the lone female in the house.
I found her description of the dog fight difficult to read.
+20 Task
+10 Review
Previous Total: 45
Grand total: 75
AtW Circumnavigator15.1 - First stop - Libya - Africa - E 013 11
In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar
+15 Task
Grand total: 105
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Don wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Megan W wrote: "AtW - Frequent FlierTask 15.1 The United Kingdom
Improper Seduction by Mary Wine
+15 Task
Elizabeth, I foun..."
That's embarrassing! I completely forgot about the author requirements. Thanks to everyone who checked into it and cleared it up.
So let me try this again . . .
AtW - Frequent Flier
15.1 United States of America
Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie
In addition to the book being set in the US, according to her GR profile Crusie was born in Ohio and lives along the Ohio River.
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Grand Total: 90
10.1 Square PegBet Me by Jennifer Crusie
I have loved this book for a long time, and I do not know how many times I have reread it at this point. Its combination of light-hearted humor, quick and witty dialogue, an extremely interesting cast of characters, and of course romance make it a perfect summer chick-lit read (or in this case, the perfect read for Spring Break on a beach). Jennifer Crusie is a fun author who can be counted on to throw out a few lines in every book that literally surprise a real, deep laugh right out of me. Though not all of her books are hits with me, Bet Me is definitely one of my favorite comfort reads.
+10 Task
+10 Review
10.4 It's Your Birthday
A Christmas Carol and other Christmas Stories--The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth byCharles Dickens
I am fairly sure that everyone has already learned the plot of A Christmas Carol from one of the countless film adaptations done of it (for myself, I always liked the Muppets' version). But I was still impressed while reading for the first time the story of Old Scrooge, a world class grouch, as well as Dicken's other Christmas stories, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth (which were also good). One of Dicken's favorite subjects is poverty: exposing the social ills that both cause and stem from it, poking holes in the caustic opinions about the poor, and most importantly, humanizing those who live in poverty.
+10 Task
+5 Combo (20.4 - A Christmas Carol has been adapted into a movie many, many times)
+10 Review
+10 Canon (listed as Christmas Stories)
Post Total: 55
Grand Total: 145
RwS 10.9 Please Sir, I Want Some More - Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
I went back to the future for this one! Robb’s futuristic world is, for all its advancements in technology, is a comfortable one to read about – at least for me it is. Admittedly, the stories are a tad predictable but what makes them so enjoyable is Robb’s character development. As the series progresses, you’re really getting to know Eve, Roarke (and let’s get it out there, who doesn’t want to know more about Roarke?) and you’re also getting to know the supporting cast and not just on the surface level. She’s really developing them into real people that you develop opinions about. These are the kinds of things that will keep me coming back to read yet another book in a series.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total=20
Grand Total=60
AtW-Circumnavigator15.3 (3rd itinerary stop) Australia (E149 07)
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
+15 Task
+10 Bonus
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 115
10.7 Reading is AwardingWashington: A Life by Ron Chernow
Pulitzer Biography 2011
+10 for task
+10 not a novel
+20 jumbo (906 pages)
Task Total=40
Grand total=40
Tobey wrote: "RwS 10.9 Please Sir, I Want Some More - Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
I went back to the future for this one! Robb’s futuristic world is, for all its advancements in technolo..."
I haven't read this one yet bu the two I have read in this series does have space travel to "off-Planet" resorts and casinos.That would give you combo points for task 10.2
Rebekah wrote: "10.9 Please, Sir, May I have More?Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
Second in the “In Death” series, like the first book, it hits the ground running. Immediately occurs ..."
Ha-Ha
I just looked back at my post for the book I read in this series and realized I didn't even take the combo points for 10.2 either. May I still have them?
Anika wrote: "10.5 Rooting for the Bad GuyThe Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
+10 Task (Sam Spade on Wikipedia list of fictional antiheroes; #70 on Goodreads Best Antiheroes in Books list)
+5 Combo
-20.4 El Ateneo/made into a movie
+ 5 Combo for being published in the 20s (1929), for 20.5 Shakespeare and Co
10.1 Square PegA Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
This book was recommended on my Library's teen web-site. It is the story of a boy who's mother is dying of cancer and how he copes with the situation. Every night he is plagued by the same nightmare, until one night instead of the usual monster in his dreams there is a giant tree that visits him. The tree tells the boy that he is there to tell three stories and that after the third the boy will have to tell him his own story, the story of his recurring nightmare. This is a beautifully written book, and is very mature considering the main character is only 12 or 13. However this is not a heartwarming story. I would recommend this book only to those who don’t mind leaving tear stains on many of the pages.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total=20
Grand Total=20
10.4 It's Your Birthday!Billy Budd by Herman Melville
+10 Task (9-12 grade list)
+10 Combo (20.4-1962 movie; 20.5-pub 1929)
+10 Canon
10.6 The Music of the Soul
Lovers of the Lost: New & Selected Poems by Wesley McNair
+10 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel (book of poetry)
20.8 It's Alphabetic
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
+20 Task (DEFoe)
+20 Combo (10.3; 10.4-9-12 grade list; 20.1- http://bookyards.blogspot.com/2008/07... ; 20.4-1996 movie)
+10 Canon
Post Total: 100
Season Total: 215
Kate S wrote: "10.4 It's Your Birthday!Billy Budd by Herman Melville
+10 Task (9-12 grade list)
+5 Combo (20.4-1962 movie)
+10 Canon"
+5 Combo 20.5 pub 1929
And I loved Moll Flanders - hope you did too.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Kate S wrote: "10.4 It's Your Birthday!Billy Budd by Herman Melville
+10 Task (9-12 grade list)
+5 Combo (20.4-1962 movie)
+10 Canon"
+5 Combo 20.5 pub 1929"
That was fast!! Thanks Elizabeth.
AtW - Frequent Flier15.2 - Canada
A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands
The book is set in Canada, and the author was born in Canada.
+15 Task
Post Total: 15
Grand Total: 160
10.5 Rooting for the Bad GuyLolita by Vladimir Nabokov
This is a very difficult book to review because of the subject matter. The book itself is absolutely gorgeous and Nabokov definitely proves himself as a master writer as the prose just sweeps you away. The problem is that the beauty of the prose seduces you into forgetting that Humbert Humbert is describing his fascination for a twelve year old girl. Every time I recalled that he wasn't describing an adult women in such beautiful and sensual terms it would be shocking all over again. Humbert Humbert even describes that Lolita is the one who ends up seducing him...a girl of twelve years old. Even if she had a crush on him and was curious enough to act on it, as the adult it is up to Humbert Humbert to protect her and refuse her. His own fascination with "nymphets," and then strictly with her, means that he grasps at her unendingly and never allows her time away from him. It really is the tale of an extremely abusive relationship told from the point of view of the abuser so lushly that you end up sympathizing with him. Nabokov did a fantastic job in inciting that mixture of awe and outrage.
+10 Task
+30 Combo (10.3, 20.1, 20.3, 20.4, 20.5, 20.7)
+10 Review
+10 Canon
Task Total: 60
10.9 Please Sir, I want some more
Gideon's Corpse by Douglas Preston
This is the second book in the new Gideon Crew series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. These are definitely fun reads as the main character, Gideon, is quite the accomplished trickster and thief. However, these books are still not at the level of the Pendergast series which I grew up reading. Gideon, while smart and fun, just does not have the same iconic quality and individuality that FBI Agent Pendergast does. I will definitely continue reading the series to see how it develops and I really hope his character becomes more than a stock character. I also wish for some really good secondary characters to start popping up, as there were in the Pendergast series, as that layering of views is what really strengthened the earlier books by Preston/Childs.
+10 Task
+10 Review
Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 330
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.4 (4th stop) - Canada (W 075 41)
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total: 25
Grand Total: 355
10.6 The Music of the SoulThe Captain's Verses by Pablo Neruda
I thought this one was going to take me forever...maybe read a poem or two a day (I was an English major. I'm used to spending hours on the meaning of the placement of a single word). The thought of devouring an entire poetry book in one sitting seems daunting--if not downright heretical--but that's precisely what I did. And it was a revelation! There is something so emotionally turbulent and raw in reading these poems straight through (well, I guess not straight through--I also read the poems as they were written in Spanish which were printed opposite the English translations...the translations lose so much of the internal rhyme and flow that is present in the original text). Neruda has long been one of my favorite poets. He so succinctly and simply states such beautiful concepts, it's as if he's translating the pure language of the soul. I can't say enough good about this collection of poems. Love love love it.
+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel
+5 Combo
-20.5 originally published in 1952
Task Total = 35
re: post 146 +5 for combo points on Maltese Falcon 20.5 pub. 1929 (thanks for finding that, Connie!)
Grand Total = 155
AtW - Frequent Flier15.3 United Kingdom
One Day by David Nicholls
This book is set in England, and the author was born in England.
+15 Task
Task Total: 15
Grand Total: 175
20.10 Liz M - It's AcademicExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
(Faculty member at NYU)
+20 Task
+ 5 Combo (20.4 - book made into a movie)
Task total: 25
Grand total: 25
AtW - Circumnavigator15.1 N. America - USA (W 077 02)
The Chase by Clive Cussler
Author born in USA, book set in USA
+15 Task
Task total: 15
20.4 El Ateneo
The Big Sleep (Movies 1946 & 1978)
I’m a big fan of mysteries and I’ve been wanting to go back and read some of the classics. Recently, a podcast I was listening to mentioned that The Big Lebowski was loosely based on this book. Its an old favorite of mine, but I hadn’t known that. I decided it was time to finally read this. Not only that, but I convinced Hubby, a fan of film noire, to read it, too. Next we’re going to watch the 1946 The Big Sleep and re-watch The Big Lebowski .
I really enjoyed the novel’s descriptions of LA and the smart-ass dialog. I wonder if people ever really spoke like that? The plot was twisty, complicated and somewhat ambiguous (which is also a positive for me). I half expected the plot to feel stale since the book and movies are referenced in so many works. While I can definitely see the connections to The Big Lebowski, and the familiarity of the hard-boiled detective and the femme fatale characters, the plot itself didn’t feel familiar. It seems like only the atmosphere and characters that have floated into recirculation. I’m curious to see how much they had to dial down the complexity for the 1946 movie (I understand they had to change it a bit because of morality laws, removing the references to homosexuality for example).
+20 Task
+5 Combos 10.5 (from the wikipedia anti-hero list)
+10 Review
total=35
10.2 Space Out
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I won’t win any originality points for this book selection (or this post for that matter). I have some books featuring space or space travel in my queue, but I when I was reading over the challenge I kept thinking about how much I had enjoyed it this when I read it long ago. After reading 1984 earlier, I decided to treat myself to something a bit silly and checked out the audio cds from the library. This has been very entertaining for me to listen to while I do the housework and a nice “cleansing of the palate” so to speak after reading something so gloomy. I much prefer a universe that seems to run on absurdity, a dash of mischief and cups of tea.
+10 task
+15 Combos 10.5 (from the wikipedia anti-hero list), 20.3 (#40), 20.4
+10 review
total=35
grand total=170
The Big Sleep (Movies 1946 & 1978)
I’m a big fan of mysteries and I’ve been wanting to go back and read some of the classics. Recently, a podcast I was listening to mentioned that The Big Lebowski was loosely based on this book. Its an old favorite of mine, but I hadn’t known that. I decided it was time to finally read this. Not only that, but I convinced Hubby, a fan of film noire, to read it, too. Next we’re going to watch the 1946 The Big Sleep and re-watch The Big Lebowski .
I really enjoyed the novel’s descriptions of LA and the smart-ass dialog. I wonder if people ever really spoke like that? The plot was twisty, complicated and somewhat ambiguous (which is also a positive for me). I half expected the plot to feel stale since the book and movies are referenced in so many works. While I can definitely see the connections to The Big Lebowski, and the familiarity of the hard-boiled detective and the femme fatale characters, the plot itself didn’t feel familiar. It seems like only the atmosphere and characters that have floated into recirculation. I’m curious to see how much they had to dial down the complexity for the 1946 movie (I understand they had to change it a bit because of morality laws, removing the references to homosexuality for example).
+20 Task
+5 Combos 10.5 (from the wikipedia anti-hero list)
+10 Review
total=35
10.2 Space Out
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I won’t win any originality points for this book selection (or this post for that matter). I have some books featuring space or space travel in my queue, but I when I was reading over the challenge I kept thinking about how much I had enjoyed it this when I read it long ago. After reading 1984 earlier, I decided to treat myself to something a bit silly and checked out the audio cds from the library. This has been very entertaining for me to listen to while I do the housework and a nice “cleansing of the palate” so to speak after reading something so gloomy. I much prefer a universe that seems to run on absurdity, a dash of mischief and cups of tea.
+10 task
+15 Combos 10.5 (from the wikipedia anti-hero list), 20.3 (#40), 20.4
+10 review
total=35
grand total=170
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.2 (2nd Itinerary Stop) Sweden (E 018 04)
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total = 25
Task 15.3 (3rd Itinerary Stop) Turkey (E 032 52)
The Gigolo Murder by Mehmet Murat Somer
+15 Task
+10 Bonus Points
Task Total = 25
Grand Total = 65
20.10 It's academicThe Networked Wilderness: Communicating in Early New England by Matt Cohen
Matt Cohen's Network Wilderness explores and challenges our ideas of what constituted communication in contact-era encounters between the Native Americans, including the Pequots, Nausets, among others, and the English colonizers. He includes readings of Morton's maypole, Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, Winslow's curing of Massasoit's constipation, as well as a modern Pequot museum. His analysis suggests that medicine, war, and cultural objects can be mediums of communication that are just as valid as evidence as the printed text that we have traditionally recognized as evidence. In addition, he highlights the different ways that traditional texts can be read by looking at the placement and directions of words as well as the fonts. Overall this was and interesting and enlightening read.
+20 Task (It's academic: Matt Cohen, associate professor of English at the University of Texas in Austen)
+10 Review
+10 Not a Novel
Task Total = 40
Grand Total = 40
AtW - CircumnavigatorTask 15.4 (4th Itinerary Stop) Asia-Turkey E032 52
Gigolo Murder by Mehmet Murat Somer
The Gigolo Murder
+15
+10 bonus
task total 25
Total points 90
Rebekah wrote: "Tobey wrote: "RwS 10.9 Please Sir, I Want Some More - Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
I went back to the future for this one! Robb’s futuristic world is, for all its advancemen..."
Unfortunately this book in the series has no off planet travel and if there was, I can't use combo points for task 10.9. :-(
Tobey wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Tobey wrote: "RwS 10.9 Please Sir, I Want Some More - Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
I went back to the future for this one! Robb’s futuristic world is, for al..."
You know I woke up this morning, thinking "We can't get combo points for that task!" I don't know what i was dreaming to think of that as soon as I awoke but there it is. Sorry 'bout that!
10.1 Square PegOur Haunted : True Life Ghost Stories by Jeff Belanger
Review
LivesWho doesn’t love a good ghost story, especially as told by real people of their own experiences regarding the paranormal, weird or just plain creepy? Jeff Belanger who has been ghost hunting or investigating for decades has collected these stories from the people who had contacted him. Set in an interview type style, the feelings and recollections of the subjects are given a one-on-one, you-are –there feel. It’s hard to rate because it depends on how one feels about the topic. It seemed the interviewees felt a sense of relief that someone could understand and believe them, although most asked for anonymity. The style of writing was in the subjects own words and syntax, so being well written would be if one feels authenticity trumps editing and correct grammar. Personally I enjoyed it. I wasn’t riveted but the topic has always interested me and the short interviews made it easy to put down and take up again. 4 stars
+10 pts - Task
+10 pts - Non-Fiction
+10 pts - Review
Task Total - 30 pts
Grand Total - 125 pts
20.7 Kid's RepublicMrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Review
Clarissa, Clarissa! What a slow life you lead! I like to read about what crazy people are thinking, i.e. Hunger by Knut Hamsun, but I don’t like to read about what boring people are thinking. Yes, I understand the masterpiece of putting rich and beautiful descriptive words together but it didn’t magic this book into something I could really appreciate. Septimus Warren Smith and his Italian war bride were the only characters I could be attentive to. He had a real problem with a real resolution and she was caught up in it. The rest of the people seemed like clueless bubbleheads, fully knowing in the stiff upper lip way, that they knew what was right in the world, what was wrong and everyone else ought to jolly well get on board with these scions of the well-bred’s sense of proportion. It’s a very good thing I am not an English Lit major as I have a hard time with all these deep thoughts and characterizations of people who never actually do anything. Sorry, Mrs. Woolf, I guess I’m just not sensitive enough.
+20 pts - Task
+25 pts - Combo (10.4-high school list, 20.2-100 female authors, 20.3,20.4-film made 1997, 20.5 - pub 1925)
+10 pts - Review
+10 pts - Canon
Task Total - 65 pts
Grand Total - 190 pts
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Reading with Style
Books mentioned in this topic
Hard Times: For These Times (other topics)The Age of Grief (other topics)
The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd (other topics)
BoneMan's Daughters (other topics)
Marie-Blanche (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles Dickens (other topics)Jane Smiley (other topics)
Mary Rose O'Reilley (other topics)
Ted Dekker (other topics)
Jim Fergus (other topics)
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The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
A really thorough introduction to the Gnostic Gospels, this book was fascinating to read. Pagels really breaks down the different Gnostic sects and their beliefs, comparing it to "Orthodox" Christianity, and placing it within the context of the history of early Christian politics. Gnosticism, based on Gnosis or "self-knowledge," was a more personal celebration of God - through knowing yourself and actively questioning it was believed you came closer to learning God. Women had a more active, equal role in many sects - and some sects even viewed the Trinity as Father, Son, Mother (with the Spirit being a Female entity rather than the neuter). Pagels really drew attention to all the various arguments and beliefs that abounded in early Christianity...and how many of these issues are popping up again in current theological discussions and analysis. One of my favorite quotes was from the second stanza of the poem "The Thunder, Perfect Mind" which still feels extremely relevant even today (link here if anyone would like to read it). I have already recommended this book to a few people as it was a great, comprehensive introduction on a fascinating topic.
+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.7 - NBCC, 20.6)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 210